Enzyme-free isothermal exponential amplification of nucleic acids and nucleic acid analog signals

Abstract

An enzyme-free, isothermal method of generating an amplification signal indicative of a target nucleic acid molecule is provided, as are compositions for performing such a method. An advantage of the detection system is that it is very sensitive, and can allow for the detection of a single target molecule in a sample.

Description

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION(S) [0001] This application claims the benefit of priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119(e) of U.S. Ser. No. 60 / 531,519, filed Dec. 19, 2003 the entire content of which is incorporated herein by reference.GRANT INFORMATION [0002] This invention was made with government support under Grant No. EIA-0093486 awarded by the National Science Foundation. The United States government has certain rights in this invention.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0003] 1. Field of the Invention [0004] The invention relates generally to compositions and methods for detection of a target nucleic acid molecule, and more specifically to compositions and methods for amplifying a signal indicative of a target nucleic acid molecule without the use of enzymes and under isothermal conditions, thus providing for the detection and / or quantitation of a target nucleic acid molecule. [0005] 2. Background Information [0006] The polymerase chain reaction (PCR) is the standard molecular biolo...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0082] An advantage of the present invention is that colocalization of oligonucleotides (e.g., a propagating oligonucleotide of a first amplifier and a damping oligonucleotide of a second amplifier) is accomplished under isothermal conditions. As such, an amplification reaction can be performed in the absence of thermo-cycling. Thermo-cycling is not required for amplification because the nucleic acid secondary structures of the compositions of the invention drive the reactions.

[0083] The amplification system is typically prepared just prior to the actual use by mixing the three pre-annealed gain2 components (e.g., P22*D1 1, P32*D2 2, and P12*D3 3). Upon mixing of the amplifiers, the target nucleic acid molecule and translator can be added, and the reaction can be followed over a period of time (observation window) to detect the generation of a signal. As used herein, the term “observation window” denotes the length of time from the time after a sample comprising a target nucleic acid molecule is contacted with an amplification system such that amplification is initiated. The observation window can be varied, as desired, from a few seconds (e.g., 10, 20, 30, etc. seconds), to a few minutes (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 10, 20, 30, etc. minutes), to a few hours (e.g., 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 10, 12, 15, 20, 24, 48, or more hours).

[0084]FIG. 4 provides an indication as to errors that can occur at various stages of an amplification reaction. For example, a false positive result can occur at the translator phase (conversion of target nucleic acid into a propagating oligonucleotide) if a target nucleic acid molecule has increased secondary structure. Additional sources of error, and methods of correcting for them are disclosed below.

Problems solved by technology

The entire amplification process takes about three hours, with much of the time spent heating and cooling the thermocycler.

However, the nature of most approaches is predominantly biological, as the primary challenges are dependent on the specific properties of the enzymes in question.

Unfortunately, methods and compositions for detection and amplification of nucleic acids which provide the exponential amplification similar to that of PCR, but takes advantage of the kinetics of nucleic acids to drive the reactions without the use of enzymes and under isothermal conditions, has not been described.

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